How To Keep Your Sanity During the Product Selection Process

How to Keep Your Sanity During the Product Selection Process May 28, 2018 Ben Barrette Home Remodel Projects, How-Tos Leave a comment


Even if you are lucky enough to find the perfect remodeling contractor, the remodeling process can still be a long and emotion-packed journey. One of the most important steps in a home remodel is the product selection phase. Decisions surrounding the selection of materials and products for your remodel must be made decisively or you risk drawing out the process (and the cost) even more. But when you’re just not sure what you want – yet you know you may have to live with the decision for decades – every choice can feel overwhelming.
Here are some helpful tips to avoid becoming overwhelmed when selecting building materials.

• Focus on the big items. Spend less time sweating over the products that are easily returnable or replaceable, such as sink fixtures, light fixtures and cabinet pulls. Focus more research and time on the larger, permanent items including exterior siding, roofing, cabinets, tiles and flooring. Consider newer, innovative products such as LP® SmartSide® siding, a siding product that unites the beauty of a traditional wood look with the durability, workability and easy maintenance of LP engineered wood.

• Trust your contractor. Indecisiveness usually results from feeling overwhelmed and uninformed. If you’re having trouble making a decision on tile for your bathroom or flooring for the kitchen, ask your contractor for his top three recommendations in that product category. Your contractor will know which products are available locally and for what cost, which means you can make selections that will both stay within your budget and not hold up the project.
• Check out product warranties. If you are having trouble choosing between two similar products, look into the product warranty for each. A good rule of thumb to remember is that manufacturers that build quality products are not afraid to stand behind them with a solid warranty. A warranty may impact your final choice